- Monthly car rentals cost around $1,603 per month on average.
- Long-term rentals typically offer more flexibility than leasing.
- It’s cheaper to rent long-term from a non-airport location in most cases.
A long-term rental can be the best option if your car is in the shop for a prolonged repair or if you’re working in a new area for a few months. All major rental companies offer long-term rentals at discounted rates. Some offer discounted rates after a month while others require two months or more for discounts. We at the Guides Auto Team compared the best rental car companies and will rank our top picks below for long-term rentals.
The listings that appear are from companies from which this website may receive compensation, which may impact how, where and in what order products appear. Not all companies, products or offers were reviewed in connection with this listing.
Cheapest Monthly Car Rental Companies
According to our rental rate study, Sixt, Thrifty and Hertz have the cheapest long-term car rentals. Below, you can see a variety of popular agencies ranked by long-term car rental cost. These averages represent the cheapest vehicle for each quote, and they include unlimited mileage. You’ll find higher prices for minivans, SUVs or luxury car rentals. All costs here and elsewhere in this article include taxes and fees:
| Rental Car Company | Long-Term Vehicle Rental Average |
|---|---|
| 1. Sixt | $1,202 |
| 2. Thrifty | $1,292 |
| 3. Hertz | $1,406 |
| 4. Dollar | $1,599 |
| 5. Avis | $1,640 |
| 6. Budget | $1,677 |
| 7. Alamo | $1,719 |
| 8. Enterprise | $1,782 |
| 9. National | $2,250 |
Long Term Car Rental Cost
Our team compared rates for long-term rentals in Orlando for a variety of companies. We looked at monthly rental costs from agencies at Orlando International Airport (MCO) and also non-airport locations in the Orlando area. Overall, long-term rentals cost about $1,603 per month on average. Rentals from MCO tend to be slightly more expensive ($1,632 per month) and non-airport locations are a bit cheaper ($1,602 per month).
You can sometimes save money by paying for the rental up front, but we found most agencies don’t offer this option for long-term rentals.
Monthly Car Rental Prices
Below, we’ve broken out individual quotes from each provider. You can see that the cheapest vehicles vary by company and car rental location. We were surprised to see pickups as the cheapest long-term rental car from a few agencies, though you’d pay more for fuel if you chose one.
Some companies like Thrifty and Hertz charge cheaper car rental rates at non-airport locations. Smaller agencies may only have locations at international airports — this applies to Dollar in our analysis. Also, Avis and Budget are the only agencies that offer discounted rates for paying up front for long-term rentals:
| Company | Location | Cheapest Vehicle Type | Rental Cost | Pay Now or Pay Later |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thrifty | Orlando neighborhood | Compact | $1,087 | Pay Later |
| Hertz | Orlando neighborhood | Compact | $1,104 | Pay Later |
| Sixt | MCO | Compact | $1,184 | Pay Later |
| Sixt | Orlando neighborhood | Compact | $1,220 | Pay Later |
| Avis | Orlando neighborhood | Hybrid | $1,302 | Pay Now |
| Avis | Orlando neighborhood | Hybrid | $1,366 | Pay Later |
| Budget | MCO | Standard pickup | $1,463 | Pay Now |
| Thrifty | MCO | Midsize sedan | $1,497 | Pay Later |
| Avis | MCO | Standard pickup | $1,556 | Pay Now |
| Dollar | MCO | Midsize sedan | $1,599 | Pay Later |
| Alamo | MCO | Midsize sedan | $1,602 | Pay Later |
| Enterprise | MCO | Compact | $1,737 | Pay Later |
| Budget | MCO | Standard pickup | $1,798 | Pay Later |
| Alamo | Orlando neighborhood | Compact | $1,835 | Pay Later |
| Avis | MCO | Standard pickup | $1,915 | Pay Later |
Best Long-Term Car Rental Companies
Based on our cost data, Sixt, Thrifty and Hertz are the top three companies to compare for long-term rentals.
Sixt
Sixt ranks as the cheapest long-term rental company overall. While other companies have different rates between neighborhood and airport rentals, we found Sixt had fairly similar rates at both types of locations. Sixt rentals cost around $1,184 per month at MCO and $1,220 per month at neighborhood locations.
Thrifty
Thrifty offers cheap rates for long-term car rentals. The company is owned by Hertz but provides its own experience and rates. Our team found rates as low as $1,087 from neighborhood locations in Orlando. At the airport, Thrifty charged $1,497, which is still cheaper than the industry average. Thrifty’s cheapest long-term rental vehicles are compact cars and midsize sedans.
Hertz
Hertz is another affordable choice for long-term car rentals. Its discounted rates start with reservations of 63 days or more. However, there’s one caveat: Hertz is only cheap for non-airport locations in our analysis. The company charged $1,104 for a monthly rental at a neighborhood location. But the price jumped considerably to $1,709 for a rental at MCO.
So, do some shopping around if you want to rent from Hertz. The good news is the company has so many locations (over 10,000 worldwide) that you can find alternatives to airports almost anywhere.
Long-Term Car Rental Alternatives
There are some other ways to get long-term rentals beyond using standard rental car agencies.
Sixt+ Subscription
We have to mention Sixt a second time because it offers something unique in the industry: car rental subscriptions. The Sixt+ subscription allows you to pay a monthly rate for a vehicle at 39 of its locations in major cities.
The subscription requires an upfront payment of $199 and a monthly subscription payment starting at $649 for a midsize sedan. You can get a Jeep Grand Cherokee for $809 or a BMW X3 for $869 per month. These prices include 1,000 miles for free. You can bump the mileage limit up to 2,000 for about $60 per month. Either way, Sixt+ is a great deal if you need a long-term rental in one of its locations.
Turo
Another option for long-term car rentals is Turo. The car sharing marketplace hosts listings from thousands of vehicle owners across the country — and many of them are open to long-term rentals. Here are a few rates our team found for monthly rentals on Turo:
- $607 per month for a 2012 Nissan Versa
- $820 per month for a 2018 Nissan Sentra
- $907 per month for a 2022 Toyota Camry
- $1,566 per month for a 2022 Toyota Tacoma
Be aware that the cheapest cars you find on Turo will be older. Rental companies usually provide cars up to a year or two old, but vehicles can be up to 12 years old on Turo.
How To Get Cheap Long-Term Car Rentals
A few things you can do to get cheaper rental options include calling the rental company, adjusting your pickup date and checking rates from travel sites.
Have Flexible Dates
Many rental locations have restricted weekend hours, so you’ll have more options if you can be flexible with your pickup and drop-off dates. Rental demand around busy seasons or holidays can influence the rates you find, too. Check prices for different dates if you can go without a rental for a few days of your trip.
Call the Rental Company
Online forms don’t always show all long-term car rental deals that a company offers. Some companies have special agents dedicated to helping renters with unique needs. Try calling a few companies before you book a long-term rental online. You might be able to set up a recurring monthly payment instead of paying for everything up front.
Skip the Extras
Rental companies offer plenty of extras that aren’t always necessary. You can forego the loss damage waiver (LDW) if you have full-coverage insurance. You might also consider turning down roadside assistance since it can be cheaper to get coverage directly from AAA or your insurance company.
Try Non-Airport Locations
You can save hundreds per month by using a non-airport rental location in many cases. It’s definitely worth shopping around from non-airport locations to see if you can get a good offer. That said, some smaller companies only have airport locations, and other companies offer cheaper rates at airports.
Check Travel Sites
You can often find cheaper rental car rates from travel sites like Priceline and Travelocity than rental agencies. However, not all travel sites offer long-term rentals over 30 days. Expedia didn’t allow us to select rentals over 30 days, for example. On the other hand, Travelocity and Priceline did. Both companies gave us the same pay now rate of $999 for a one-month compact car rental.
Cheap Monthly Car Rental: Conclusion
Whether you want to go on a month-long road trip or your car is in the shop for an extended period of time because it needs a new engine, you can get long-term rentals from any major rental company. Our team found the cheapest options include Sixt, Thrifty and Hertz, but you should compare rates from other companies since prices vary depending on your situation.
The listings that appear are from companies from which this website may receive compensation, which may impact how, where and in what order products appear. Not all companies, products or offers were reviewed in connection with this listing.
Cheap Long-Term Car Rental: FAQ
Below are some frequently asked questions about cheap monthly car rentals:
According to our rental car price analysis, Sixt is the company with the best long-term car rental rates at an average price of $1,202. Other agencies like Hertz and Thrifty also offer some of the cheapest monthly car rentals on the market.
Our analysis shows monthly car rentals start at about $1,603 on average. This can vary greatly depending on the company, vehicle and type of rental location. You can often save money by avoiding airport occasions for long-term rentals.
Turo is a safe platform for short- and long-term rentals, but you should still be cautious. Watch out for phishing scams that ask for your login information. Also, since it’s a public marketplace, be careful when meeting strangers and take photos of any prior damage to the vehicle.
You can find short-term leases of 12 months from some dealerships depending on your situation. However, you’ll pay a lot for vehicle depreciation over the first year of ownership with a short-term lease. That’s why dealers offer three-year leases as the traditional term.
Most companies give discounts when you rent a car long term starting at one month. So, it’s usually cheaper to rent a car for a month than for four individual weeks. Be aware that one-way rentals will cost more regardless of how long you rent.
How We Rated Car Rental Companies
Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best rental car companies. We collected data on several car rental providers to grade them on five key ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the companies that scored the most points topping the list.
Here are the factors our ratings take into account:
- Industry standing: Our research team considered years of experience and Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings when giving this score.
- Availability: Car rental agencies with more locations nationwide and at major airports scored highest in this category. We also considered the types of rental vehicles available with each company.
- Cost: Providers that offer affordable average rates, low cancellation fees and discount opportunities received the highest ratings.
- Options and restrictions: Companies with several add-on options and fewer restrictions are more likely to meet consumer needs.
- Customer experience: This score is based on customer reviews, J.D. Power satisfaction ratings and loyalty program availability. We also considered how easy it is to get pricing information from each company.